Play yard



April 19, 1955 J. P. SESPICO 2,706,299

PLAY YARD Filed Oct. 20, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I2 I4 '5 3 FIG, I. a m m 29 3O 27 4g 28 \t 181 1 2 |5 3 G 2 I8 1 v I8 25 :11 I6 1 LI- .2 I H 24 H 9 9 6 G JF '3 I9 25 LL 0K i I, %2 I 29 as 30 INVENTOR.

.JosEPH F. Szsmco April 19, 1955 J. P. sEsP| co 2,706,299

PLAY YARD Filed Oct. 20, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A [8 I8 27 G gi fie 28 Pl r-l I'l I mm FIG).

mmvron. JOSEPH P. SESPICO United States PatentQ is n ent n re es s b b P e s and m re pa t s l l t an' mrr fql cr y r The main object of the invention 'is' to provide a novel e zsl rrd f ldab e b b r e "Y d whi h issimpie is s in i ati n. w h s. a to ld a f i' wh h ne tin appe i i A further object of the invention is to provide an improved foldabl baby play yard which is'ineitpensive to manufae 'whichis sturdy in construction, and which were rea i l e and iif d'ed' t' h i s a y substantial degree of bending or stooping ofthe ve s d man latin e ay a d Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of an improved baby play yard constructed in accordance with'the present invention, shown in its unfolded position, ready for use.

Figure 2' is a front elevational view of the play yard Qf u i Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the play yard of Figures 1 and 2. i i

' Figure 4 is a top view of the baby play yard of Figures 1 to 3, shown in its folded position, for transportation or storage.

Figure 5 is a front end elevational view of the folded baby play yard of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional detail view taken on the line 66 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional detail view taken on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a vertical cross sectional view taken n the line 88 of Figure 1, and showing the play yard in partially folded position with the floor panels thereof elevated.

Figure 9 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional detail view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 2.

Figure 10 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a cross sectional detail view taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 9.

Referring to the drawings, the foldable baby play pen is designated generally at 11 and comprises two pairs of vertical corner posts 12, 12 and 13, 13 spaced apart to define a rectangular end closure. Designated at 14, 14 are respective inwardly foldable front and rear walls, the front and rear walls being vertically hinged at 15, 15, namely at their vertical median lines, whereby the front and rear walls 14, 14 may be at times folded inwardly to the positions thereof shown in Figure 4. The respective ends of the front and rear walls 14, 14 are hinged to the respective corner posts 12, 12 and 13, 13 at the ends of the top and bottom bars 16 and 17 of said front and rear walls, the hinged connections being shown respectively at 18 and 19. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, each of said hinged connections comprises a screw eye 20 secured in and projecting horizontally from the corner post, the screw eye being received in a notch 21 formed in the horizontal rail of the foldable wall member 14, and a hinge pin engaged through the end portion of the horizontal rail member and through the screw eye, the hinge pin being shown at 22 in Figure 7, said hinge pin coopcrating with the screw eye 20 to define a hinged connection.

Designated respectively at 23, 23 are respective side walls, said side walls comprising horizontal top rails 24, horizontal bottom rails 25, and vertical slats 26 rigidly connecting said top and bottom rails. The ends of the 2,706,299 Reten e Ann 1% 1,9555

ice

top rails 24 are swingably connected to the top portions ofthe respective pairs of verticalcorner pests 12, 12"and 13, 13 by respectivepairs of link bars 27, 2 7 and 28, 28-, the, link bars being rotatable in planes perpendicular to the respective side walls 23, 23, whereby! said'side walls are swingable from positions closely adjacent 'tothe vertical planes defined by'therespective pairs of'corne'r posts 12, 12 and 13, 13, to verticalpos'itionssp a'ced"outwardly from the planes of the c' orner post's, such as "that shown in Figure 2. The bottom rails or the sidewalls 23, 2s are'hingedly connected at'29' and 30 to the outer marginal portions of respective floor panel segments 31 and32. The floor panel 31 comprises a rigid board ele'rnen't'33 secured on the respective marginal frame members 34, 34

and 35, 35, the frame members Masses defining a rectangular frame'on whicn't'he rigidbo'a'r'd '33 is secured. As shown in Figure 8,th'e forw'a'rd'fra'rfie me'mber'35 projects forwardlybeyqtid the edge of the board 33, defining a seat on which the'free 'edge'of the board 36 of the floor-panel segment 32 is received, as'willbe'presently described."

The frame elements 34, 34 are each pivotally connected at 38 to a cornerpost'1'2, the pivotal eennecn ensss being spaced substantially the same distance'fr'om "the axis of the hinge connections 29 as' the'leng'th of "the" link bars 27, whereby a'substantially parallel lihkage'is'defined, said linkage including the floor segment33, thesitle wall 23, the'link bars" 27 and the vertical 'posts'12, 12. The floor segment 31 may be supported in a horizontal position by engagement with respective'angle brackets 39, 39 secured to and projecting inwardly from the bottom rails of the foldable front and rear anna, 14

The'fioor segment 32'is'similar in construction to the floor segment 31, except that the top 'board' 36'thereof projects ashort distance beyond the transverse frame element thereof, asis clearly shown in'FigureS, whereby the project'ing'ma'rginal portionof the board 36 may seat upon the transverse frame element 35 of the floor segment 31 when said floor segments 31 and 32 are in their horizontal positions, as above explained. Inwardly projecting angle brackets 40 are provided on the bottom rails of the foldable front and rear walls 14, 14 to supportingly receive the frame elements 34' of the floor segment 32. The frame elements 34' are pivoted at 41 to the respective vertical corner posts 13, 13, and the bottom rail of the side wall 23 at the right side of the play yard, as viewed in Figures 2 and 8 is hinged at 39 to the outer marginal portion of the floor segment 32, as above described, the distance between the pivotal connections 41 and the hinge axis of the hinged connection 36 being substantially equal to the length of the respective link bars 28, 28, whereby a parallel linkage is defined between the floor segment 32, the right side wall 23, the link bars 28, and the vertical corner posts 13, 13.

Pivotally connected at 43 to the frame members 34 are respective depending latch members 44 whose lower ends are integrally connected by a horizontally extending flat bar 45. As shown in Figure 8, the latch members 44 are angled at 46 and are formed at their knee portions with the notches 47 which are lockingly engageable with the supporting brackets 40 when the floor segment 32 is lowered to the horizontal position thereof, as shown in Figure 10. The weight of the connecting rod biases the latch elements 44 toward locking position, and since the marginal portion of the board 36 overlaps the inner frame element 35 of the floor segment 31, the interlocking engagement of the latch members 44 locks the floor segments in their horizontal positions. The floor segments may be unlocked by manually rotating the connecting rod 45 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 10, to disengage the notches 47 from the supporting brackets 40.

The play yard may be readily folded up by first rotating the latch connecting bar 45 counterclockwise, as viewed in Figure 10, as above explained, and by then pushing downwardly on the right wall 23 of the play yard, whereby the floor segment 32 is elevated to a vertical position in the plane 'of the corner posts 13, 13. The left side wall 23 is then pushed downwardly, whereby the floor segment 31 is rotated to a vertical position in the plane of the corner posts 12, 12. The latch elements, of conventional their bottom ends with the usual casters 50, to enable the play yard to be readily moved on the floor.

While a specific embodiment of an improved foldablc baby play pen has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A baby play pen comprising two pairs of vertical corner posts spaced apart to define a rectangular enclosure, respective inwardly foldable front and rear walls hingedly connected to the respective pairs of said corner posts at the front and at the rear of said enclosure, respective side walls, link means connecting the top ends of said side walls to the respective pairs of said corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, respective floor panels pivotally connected to said last-named corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, said floor panels being swingable around respective horizontal transverse axes in the vertical side planes of said enclosure, and means hingedly connecting the outer edge portions of the respective floor panels to the bottom edges of the respective side walls.

2. A baby play pen comprising two pairs of vertical corner posts spaced apart to define a rectangular enclosure, respective inwardly foldable front and rear walls hingedly connected to the respective pairs of said corner posts at the front and at the rear of said enclosure, respective side walls, link means connecting the top ends of said side walls to the respective pairs of said corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, respective floor panels pivotally connected to said last-named corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, said floor panels being swingable around respective horizontal transverse aXes in the vertical side planes of said enclosure, means hingedly connecting the outer edge portions of the respective floor panels to the bottom edges of'the respective side walls, means on the lower portions ofjthe front and rear walls supportingly engageable with said fioor panels when said panels are in substantially horizontal positions, and means for releasably locking said floor panels in said horizontal positions.

3. A baby play pen comprising two pairs of vertical corner posts spaced apart to define a rectangular enclosure, respective inwardly foldable front and rear walls hingedly connected to the'respective pairs of said corner posts at the front and ward said enclosure, respective side walls, link means connecting the top ends of said side walls to the respective pairs of said corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, respective floor panels pivotally connected to said last-named corner posts at the sides of said enclosure, said floor panels being swingable around respective horizontal transverse axes in the vertical side planes of said enclosure, means hingedly connecting the'outer edge portions of the respective floor panels to the bottom edges of the respective side walls, inwardly extending bracket elements on the lower edge portions of the front and rear walls supportingly engageable with the edge portions of the floor panels when said floor panels are in horizontal positions, one panel being overlappingly engageable on a marginal portion of the other panel, and a depending latch member pivoted to said one panel and having an inclined depending detent element lockingly engageable with one of said bracket elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent Merrett Dec. 10, 

